Advertising display



Sept. 27, 1932. H Vl MARSH 1,880,099

ADVERTI S ING DI SPLAY Filed May 14, 1931 latented Slept. 27, 1932 PATENT HARRY V. MARSH, OF CHICAGO, LLINOIS ADVERTISING DISPLAY Application led May 1,4,

The present invention has to do with advertising and relates particularly to a new method of advertising, and particularly to utilizing a heretofore unemployed source of 5 disseminating advertising thought.

Advertising Vmay be animate or it maybe inanimate. Much of the inanimate advertising comprises point of'purchase advertising` which is generally placed in a retail establishment in which the advertised goods are sold. Inanimate advertising also includes billboards generally considered an effective medium or advertising, but possessing the objection that such advertising is stationary and normally is received by the same people again and again. The held for such advertising is thus limited.

Other forms of advertising, of course, include radio programs, newspaper and magazine advertisements, and various other expedients whereby advertisers put their stories to the public.

Never has it been proposed to employ the many freight cars which are always in transit for the purpose of carrying display signs or advertising. Freight cars are generally in transit between points. Except for loading and unloading, they are generally N in motion. Such cars possess the advantage of being stationary relatively short times and moving from point to point so that advertising matter carried thereby may be viewed by a great number of persons and by an ever changing assemblage. There is no repetition of audiences.

The difficulties connected with using freight cars for advertising include a necessity for providing a satisfactory type of sign or sign holder for use thereon, and suiiicient means whereby signs may be attached and detached to the cars.

The present invention, therefore, has as its object a new and improved method of advertising; the utilization of a freight car or the like as a vehicle for advertising of the same type as used on a billboard; a new and improved form of advertising adapted to be applied to a freight car or the like; and new and improved means for attaching advertis- 1931. sei-iai N'. 537,281.A

ing to a moving vehicle such as a freight car.

* These objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, are obtained by the novel construction, unique arrangement, and improved combination of the several ele-A ments comprising one form of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanying single sheet of drawing, iereby made a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a freight car 60 of the box type having signs of the character herein described attached upon a plurality of places thereon;

Figure 2 is a. fragmentary perspective of one side of a sign, such as is shown in Figv05 ure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Like reference characters are used to desig nate similar parts in the drawing and in the description of the invention hereinafter given. Y

It is contemplated that the type of sign 75 shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 may be employed upon the door of a box car, or upon the side o-f the car removed from the door', as is shown in Figure 1, or that the size of a sign of the type herein described may be reduced to fit $0 a gondola typeof box car or modified for the purpose of employingit upon other types of freight cars.

The sign and sign holder shown in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4 isv one of the several de- 85 vices illustrated as appended to one side of the box car 10, shown in Figure 1.

The sign holder comprises a slide strip 11 having at its top a rounded section 12. At its bottom, said stripv 11 has a forwardly ex- '90 tending tongue 13. About the rounded section 12 at the top of member 11, there is disposed in any desired manner a strap member 14 of less width than said back strip 11 and comprising spring material. 95

Such member 14 has an arcuate configuration whereby the lower end thereof normallyis sprung away from the back member 11. At the bottom end, said strap `member 14 has an aperture 15 which may be rectangume lar or otherwise shaped. When pressed downwardly and inwardly, said member 14, in respect to said aperture 15, is adapted to register with the tongue 13, and

'when pressed inwardly a sucient distance,

a pin 1"? may be forced laterally through said tongue 13 and secured in position therein because the head 18 at one end of said pin may not be moved inwardly of said tongue and because a cotter pin 19 threaded through an aperture 2O in said pin 17 at the opposite 'sign in a flat vertical plane parallel to the side of the cars. y

ntermediate complemental reversed and opposed side and strap members is a spacer member 23. Each end of said spacer rod 23 is adapted to engage the rounded end 12 of said side members 11 and to hold said side members 11 in parallel spaced relation. A back 24 may be disposed in said sign holder but such an arrangement is not necessary for the side members 11 themselves provide sufficient bearing surface to support at the back a sheet metal sign 22 Vor the like held in the device. Said spacing members 23 preferably include a'partially beaded section 25 which provides at the top aV longitudinal strip with its underside open at 26 and at the bottom a longitudinal strip with the upper side 27 open.

A sheet metal sign 22 of a length slightly greater than the distance between the contiguous edges of said transverse members 23 is generally employed. itis customary to spring such sign 22 into position between said transverse members 23 and thereafter to bring the strap members 14; into a locked The side members 11 are secured in position upon a car 10' by suitable bolts or the like 29, it being customary to form an aperture 30 in the side member 11 to receive the head of a bolt. Such aperture may be countersunk to receive the head of the bolt 29, the nut 31 on said bolt being within the car and hence, the sign holder is not removable from the exterior of the car.

As many such holders as may be desired r In combination, a box car, a sign holder on A said car, and a sign in said holder, said holder comprising a back of an area greater than the area of said sign, and having lips at the edge thereof, certain of said lip members having extensions depending over the face of a sign therein and other lips not extending over such signand strap members extending from end toend of said sign and cooperating with said latter mentioned lips to r prevent displacement of said sign normal to said back.

HARRY V. MARSH.

position along` the edges of' the strips 11 to firmly secure such sign in adjusted position. Vertically or lateral displacementl of the sign 22 is thus prevented.

A sheet metal sign 22 maybe lithographed or otherwise prepared in any suitable factory or lithographing plant and shipped toa suitable distribution point through which freight cars equipped with the type of sign holder herein described pass. At such distribution point, any signs'which are in the sign holders are removed and new sheet metal signs are disposed in the apparatus to Vreplace the removed signs. The signs 22 are firmly secured in the holder by the use of the Cotter pin locked straps and remain rmly disposed in such holder until they are manually removed by the processindicated. To remove the signs therefrom, they must nor- 5' mally be sprung outwardly. 

